Transgenders Shahzadi Rai and Zehrish Stopped From Boarding Flydubai Due to ‘X’ Gender
New
Age Islam News Bureau
21
January 2023
• Saudi
Women’s National Football Team Wins Its First-Ever International Tournament
• At
Least 50 Women Abducted In Burkina Faso Are Found: Media
• India
Open: Head Covered or Not, Indonesian Women United In Their Passion and Craze
for Badminton
• Tehran
Hosts First International Congress for Women of Influence
• Deputy
Speaker of Shura Council Highlights Pioneering Role of Qatari Women in
Development Fields
• UNESCO
Dedicates International Day of Education 2023 to Afghan Girls, Women
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/transgenders-flydubai-gender-zehrish/d/128936
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Transgenders
Shahzadi Rai and Zehrish Stopped From Boarding Flydubai Due to ‘X’ Gender
Photograph
:( Twitter)
----
Shazia
Hasan
January
21, 2023
KARACHI:
Two transgender rights activists were denied flying by a foreign airline due to
their ‘x’ gender on Friday.
Shahzadi
Rai and Zehrish, the two transgender rights activists at the Gender Interactive
Alliance, got their air tickets cancelled by Flydubai when they were about to
take the flight to Kathmandu via the United Arab Emirates for their annual
meeting there.
Soon
after, Shahzadi Rai took to social media to highlight the issue, which took
place at Karachi Airport.
“Transgender
persons are part of the mainstream in other countries but Flydubai don’t allow
x-gender cards for travelling, which is transphobic behaviour by the airline. If
they don’t allow travel on their planes then why even issue us tickets,”
Shahzadi questioned while sharing her ticket issued by the airline.
“Shame
on Flydubai for not letting khwaja siras fly on their airlines,” said another
transgender who goes by the Twitter handle of @sanakhusri.
Yet
another transgender activist, Hina Baloch who goes by the handle of @surkhina
on Twitter said: “Today ShahzadiRai was barred from boarding flydubai flight
KHI-DXB-KTM. This is hijraphobia and we urge the Pakistan Foreign Office to
look into this matter ASAP.”
It
was only an hour before the incident where the transgender activists’ tickets
were cancelled that Shahzadi Rai had posted a happy photo of herself at the
airport with the caption: ‘The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.’ Sadly
this dream of travelling by air turned into a bad memory.
The
airline in question, Flydubai, did not make any statement to the media
regarding the incident until going to print.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1732733/two-transgenders-stopped-from-boarding-flight-due-to-x-gender
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Saudi
Women’s National Football Team Wins Its First-Ever International Tournament
Saudi
Arabia recorded a 1-1 draw in its final match of the tournament against
Pakistan on Thursday night to top the Women’s International Friendly Tournament
table with 7 points. (Supplied)
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20 January,
2023
Saudi
Arabia women’s national football team has won its first-ever trophy after
claiming victory in a four-team tournament held in the Kingdom featuring the
hosts, Pakistan, Mauritius, and Comoros.
Saudi
Arabia recorded a 1-1 draw in its final match of the tournament against
Pakistan on Thursday night to top the Women’s International Friendly Tournament
table with 7 points.
Saudi
Arabia opened the scoreline through Al Bandary Mubarak’s first half strike. The
result came after wins against Mauritius 1-0, through Mariam Al Tamimi’s goal
from the penalty spot, and Comoros 2-0, following goals from Noura Ibrahim and
Dalia Adel. Pakistan finished second in the table with 4 points, with Comoros
and Mauritius following with 3 points respectively.
Individually
it was a success for Saudi Arabia too, with Sarah Khalid winning best
goalkeeper of the tournament having conceded just one goal. Meanwhile,
Pakistan’s Maria Jamila Khan claimed the best player award, with Comoros’
Onalaya Ali receiving the top scorer award.
In
addition to the success of the national team players, the tournament was also a
cause for celebration with Anoud al-Asmari officiating her first match as an
official FIFA referee.
Al-Asmari,
appointed to the FIFA list at the beginning of 2023, is the first Saudi woman
referee to be awarded a prestigious FIFA badge.
Thursday’s
milestone moment marks another chapter in the transformation of the women’s
game in Saudi Arabia.
It
was the first time a women’s 11-a-side international tournament had been hosted
in the country, with all matches held at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium in
the Eastern Province.
Lamia
Bahaian, supervisor of the Women’s Football Department and board member at the
Saudi Arabian Football Federation, said: “This is a momentous day in Saudi
Arabian football, and we congratulate the talented players in the women’s
national team, as well as all the management, coaching and staff members, on
this wonderful achievement. We are all very proud.”
“Winning
this tournament will inspire many young girls across the Kingdom to become
involved in football and experience all the joys that the beautiful game
offers.”
“We
thank each of Comoros, Pakistan, and Mauritius for coming to Saudi Arabia to participate
in the tournament, wish them the best of luck in their own women’s football
development initiatives, and look forward to facing them on the field again in
the future.”
Monika
Staab, the Saudi Arabia Head Coach, said: “Winning this tournament is an
important milestone in Saudi Arabian football and will give the players huge
confidence as they progress their national team careers. I am delighted with
the players and how they performed over the past three games triumph – it
provides a huge springboard for future success.”
“It
is a success that very much constitutes inspiration for young girls across
every corner of Saudi Arabia as well as the other talented, young players in
the Premier League who aspire to play international football.”
Significant
advancements have been made since the establishment of a dedicated women’s
football department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation four years ago in
2019.
There
are now 520 registered players, over 1,000 D, C and B-licensed coaches, 25
clubs and almost 50,000 girls in the inaugural schools’ league.
This
progress comes from a long-term strategy launched last year by the federation
to grow interest and participation at all levels of the women’s game, with
investments in grassroots, player development, coaching, facilities,
competitions and governance.
Saudi
Arabia has been making a name for itself on the international footballing
stage. As the number one sport in Saudi Arabia, football has continued to gain
prominence and momentum in recent years especially following the recent victory
for the national team over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with the
entire squad based in Saudi Arabia.
This
month also saw Portuguese footballer and five-time Ballon D’or winner Cristiano
Ronaldo arrive in Saudi Arabia after his historic signing with the al-Nassr
Football Club.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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At
least 50 women abducted in Burkina Faso are found: Media
Aurore
Bonny
21.01.2023
DOUALA,
Cameroon
About
50 women recently abducted in northern Burkina Faso by suspected terrorists
have been found, local sources reported Friday.
"The
women abducted on the night of 12-13 January 2023 in Arbinda by terrorists have
been found," the National News Agency said, citing "reliable
sources" without disclosing further details.
Armed
terrorist groups took women and girls who were in search of wild fruit,
according to Governor of the Sahel region Rodolphe Sorgho.
In
the aftermath of the abduction, the prosecutor of the northern region of Djibo,
Issouf Ouedraogo, reported that girls and newborn babies were among those
taken.
The
Burkinabe Movement for Human and People's Rights and others reported at least
61 women were abducted, including at least 26 under the age of 18.
Burkinabe
authorities have announced the opening of an investigation.
Burkina
Faso residents have suffered insecurity due to terror attacks since 2015.
Thousands of schools have been closed, thousands killed and millions more have
fled the violence.
The
country is in transition after two coups, caused by the pretext of growing and
uncontrolled insecurity.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/at-least-50-women-abducted-in-burkina-faso-are-found-media/2793356
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India
Open: Head covered or not, Indonesian women united in their passion and craze
for badminton
by
Shivani Naik
January
20, 2023
When
Ismalinda Eriza walked into the KD Jadhav Hall for the match featuring Kevin
Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Gideon – known around the world by their nickname,
Minions – she expected at best 20 fellow Indonesian women to screech their
hearts out in support. She couldn’t believe her ears when a stadium full of
Indians, starting with a group of young outstation fans in Delhi for the
badminton, adopted the Minions for the next 50-odd minutes, lending raucous
support against a Chinese pairing, willing them onto a win almost from the jaws
of defeat.
“I
got goosebumps looking around and seeing all Indians get behind our boys,
because they are loved so much. This was a special match,” Ismalinda said,
almost tearing up and grateful for making the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex feel
almost like Indonesia’s iconic Istora Senayan stadium of her teens.
“Maybe
it’s because of Susi Susanti, who won gold for Indonesia at the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, and led in so many Uber Cups. But even as a child, I remember going
to stadiums and women in head-scarves coming and cheering in large numbers,”
she says of a legend and a sport that Indonesians adore more than anything
else.
“I
like it. It’s our sport. We are really free in Indonesia, there’s gender
equality and no one ever stopped us from watching or playing badminton.
Everyone plays, like in the park or anywhere, you don’t need a field,” she
says, adding that watching football can get forbidding at times, with a skewed
male ratio in stands, “like anywhere else.” But badminton stadiums are where everyone
joins in the revelry, the women in equal or bigger numbers.
This
whole week, Indonesian women in Delhi – partners of diplomats and business
executives, students at Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University and
the Indian Institute of Technology, and from Chandigarh – have come wielding
the inflatable clappers, tiny flags and just letting loose their famous
cold-piercing vocal chords, whenever the Indonesians are in action.
Headscarves
in sports arenas has been an emotive issue, especially after Iranian chess
players refused to don them, signalling their protest for more individual
rights. “In Indonesia, it’s a matter of individual choice,” says Nova, who says
the religion of athletes and fans, and dress codes never interfered with sport.
“Some athletes compete with headscarves, like a world champion in
wall-climbing, archery and equestrian. Some play without, and same for
supporters too. No problem,” she says.
But
where there’s badminton, what’s certain is a large group of women – toddlers in
tow – parking themselves in seats behind their favourites, to create one right
din. For a few years now, the quiet and courteous Jonatan Christie ‘Jojo’ has
been a particular favourite.
They
reel off reasons.
“Jojo’s
now World No. 4,”
“Jojo
keeps a low profile, and handles fame calmly.”
“Jojo’s
handsome!”
“Name’s
Jojo, Jonatan Christie,” Wiwi, 27, says, like he’s next in line to Daniel
Craig.
Pride
and identity
Nova
grew up in Jakarta and said nothing gave Indonesia the sort of global acclaim
and respect that badminton consistently does. “Any part of the world, we feel
proud to be Indonesians,” she says, adding that they almost feel as if they are
walking two feet above ground in a badminton stadium. “It’s one of our best
sports and that’s why it has fanatical support from men and women.” She
remembers Taufik Hidayat’s 2004 Olympic title as the zenith of her
teen-following of the sport.
“This
Indian crowd reminded me of then. But it was the first time I was hearing
neutrals support our players – Jojo, Anthony Ginting and Minions with the same
noise like we are used to back home. We didn’t expect them to clap together
with us, and yell out names of our players. It felt very emotional,” she says.
Indian
chants tend to be simple – and very loud and persistent – repetitions of
players’ names. With Indian names drying up by Friday, and given the rare
opportunity to watch global stars they only see on TV and internet streams
right in front of them, Indian crowds have built up a vibe that every foreign
name acknowledges in their media interactions.
Entirely
non-partisan, every good stroke gets equal applause. And if a player happens to
be trailing wretchedly on court, the universally star-struck Indian crowd takes
it upon themselves to prop up the lagging player’s confidence. Should the score
line change, they’ll get behind the opponent. But no player complains. It’s
during one of these tight games against the Chinese when the Minions found
support in the Indian crowd that Nova and her friend Indri from the embassy
made friends with Indians.
Waiting
for their women’s singles player Mariska Tunjung, and Ginting to take the
court, the group of Indonesian ladies would hope their players gave them a
reason to keep coming to the stadium till Sunday. “Wherever we are posted, if there’s
a badminton tournament, we circulate printouts of schedules, mark our players,
get tickets and then the week revolves around our matches,” Ismalinda says of a
ritual followed by spouses of diplomats across the world.
She
reckons badminton and sport gives Indonesians an identity, threads of which
they can pick up anywhere in the world. “When people hear Indonesia, they say –
‘Oh! Badminton!’ That’s our favourite way of being recognised. I’m a Muslim,
but I don’t have my head covered, but Wiwi here covers it. Those are individual
choices. Badminton though is in the blood of every Indonesian,” Ismalinda adds.
Source:
Indian Express
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Tehran
hosts First International Congress for Women of Influence
January
20, 2023
‘Women
of influence’ showcase achievements
An
exhibition showcasing the achievements of successful Iranian women was held on
Friday on the sidelines of the First International Congress for Women of
Influence.
In
this exhibition, the achievements of Iranian women entrepreneurs in various
fields such as electricity and electronics, medical equipment, technology,
innovation centers, and home businesses were on display.
In
this regard, 900 female CEOs of knowledge-based companies have been identified,
100 of them were selected as the best in the field of science and technology,
and finally, the top 50 participated in this exhibition, ISNA reported.
Guests
from 28 countries, including Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand,
Pakistan, Cameroon, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Austria,
Kazakhstan, and Canada visited the exhibition.
It
should be noted that the congress for women of influence was held for the first
time this year at both national and international levels. Its national level was
held on Tuesday, January 17, and its international level was held on Friday,
January 20.
The
event aimed to appreciate women of influence, support and help them grow, and
promote their creativity and ideas.
Women
in various sectors, including science, research, innovation, economy,
healthcare, art, photography, painting, society and environment, law, and media
participated in the congress.
Valuable
experiences
Addressing
the congress on Thursday, President Ebrahim Raisi said: “I hope that the women
present in this meeting will be able to use the valuable experiences that the
Islamic Republic of Iran gained after the Islamic Revolution in the field of
women's rights and attention to women in society.”
Fortunately,
more than 30 percent of university professors, more than 34 percent of experts
in the field of medicine and healthcare, almost 60 percent of the capacity of
scientific and academic centers, as well as 30 percent of managerial positions
belong to women in the country, Raisi added.
Also,
the number of Iranian women who gain championships in various domestic and
international sports fields is more than ever, he noted.
The
president also pointed to the influential role of Iranian women in the economy
and entrepreneurship, saying: “We believe that women can be effective in
various scientific, economic, political, cultural, social and sports fields
alongside men.”
Referring
to the fact that despite claims, women's rights are violated in many cases in
Western countries, Raisi said that according to the statistics, many women are
killed by the police in these countries every year just for the crime of
demanding their rights.
“The
reason why today the Islamic Republic of Iran is angered by these countries is
because it has presented a new way of life by preserving the principles and
values of the women of the society who have been able to reach high cultural,
political, social and sports peaks.”
In
the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have always emphasized in the laws and
regulations related to women that the protection of women's rights and the
issue of family formation should be given special attention, he stressed.
Decadent
Western culture
The
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, met with a
group of prominent Iranian women on January 4, castigating the “decadent
Western culture” and its crimes against women.
“On
the issue of women, our stance towards the hypocritical Western claimants is a
position of demand, not the defense. There was a time many years ago, when a
number of students at a university asked me, ‘What do you have to say for
yourself in defense of such and such a case?’ I told them, ‘I don’t have a
defense. I have an attack.’ That is how it is with the issue of women. The
world is to blame. When I say ‘the world’ I mean the Western world, Western
philosophy, and the existing Western culture. Of course, [what I am talking
about] is the modernized West. I am not concerned about the historical West.”
Ayatollah
Khamenei then pointed to Islam’s view toward women. He said, “Unlike the deeply
patriarchal Western capitalist system, in Islam, both men and women are
prominent and have legal, intellectual, theoretical, and practical privileges.
But the Westerners untruthfully attribute their inherent patriarchy to Islam.”
Plans
to empower women
The
National Headquarters for Women and Family Affairs has approved six plans to
support families and empower women and improve their status in society.
The
formation of a loan guarantee fund for women heads of households was one of the
plans of the National Headquarters for Women and Family Affairs.
Due
to the fact that many female breadwinners could not use business loans due to
the lack of a guarantor, the fund was established to help them.
According
to official statistics, there are 3.5 million female heads of households, but
according to unofficial statistics, the figure reaches more than 6 million.
A
plan is entitled ‘Upgrading the structure of the vice president and advisors
related to the vice presidency for women and families.’
The
national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year 1402, which starts on
March 21, has increased the budget for women’s affairs by over 50 percent
compared to the current year’s budget.
Some
580 billion rials (about $1.5 million) have been proposed by the budget bill
for the next year compared with 320 billion rials (about $800,000) for the
current year.
Source:
Tehran Times
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Deputy
Speaker of Shura Council highlights pioneering role of Qatari women in
development fields
JANUARY
21, 2023
HE
Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti affirmed
the pioneering role of Qatari women in the fields of development and their
pioneering contribution to the country's achievements at various levels.
In
a speech during her participation in the "First International Congress on
Influential Women", which was held in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Her
Excellency said that Qatari women have assumed pioneering roles and important
positions during which they made great achievements for the country.
In
the context of her speech, Her Excellency noted the pioneering role of Her
Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser locally, regionally and globally, and her
many initiatives in humanitarian work in the fields of education and health.
Her
Excellency recalled the struggle of Palestinian women for nearly a century and
their prominent role in the steadfastness of their children in the face of the
occupation, noting the work presented by the journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, in
order to convey the truth to the entire world.
HE
Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council touched on the skills, capabilities and
qualities that distinguish influential women, indicating that among these
qualities are possessing leadership capabilities, insightful vision, the wide
culture and the ability to stimulate, and the constant focus on goals.
Her
Excellency emphasised that Islam preceded all civilizations in honouring women
and granting them a great position in society, as they are the foundation on
which the entire society is built, reviewing the biography of some pioneer
women in Islamic history who had clear imprints in many fields.
It
is noteworthy that the conference sought to create an opportunity for
communication between influential women in the world to provide a common ground
for exchanging experiences and opinions, and to provide the necessary support
for efforts for promoting women's role in their societies.
Source:
Gulf Times
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UNESCO
dedicates International Day of Education 2023 to Afghan girls, women
21
January, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan], January 21 (ANI): The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has decided to dedicate the International Day of
Education 2023 to Afghan girls and women, TOLOnews quoted director-general of
UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay as saying on Friday.
On
the occasion of an event at the UN headquarters, UNESCO will restate its plea
to quickly restore the fundamental rights of Afghan women to education.
TOLOnews
quoted Raihana, a nursing student, as saying that UNSECO and other
international organizations must take concrete steps to address the issue of
women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
“Only
one day is not enough. UNESCO needs to try to talk with Islamic Emirate and
lift all the restrictions,” she said.
However,
refuting the claims by Afghan women and girls of deprivation from education,
Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid said “Some issues are temporary and
efforts are underway to solve them. The cooperation of the UN is important for
the Afghan people and for the situation in Afghanistan.”
According
to UNESCO, currently, around 80 per cent of school-aged Afghan girls and young
women are out of school under the Taliban rule, as they denied them access to
secondary schools and universities, TOLOnews reported.
After
the Taliban ordered an indefinite ban on university education for Afghan girls,
several humanitarian organizations, including Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a
United Nations global, billion-dollar fund for education in emergencies and
protracted crises called the Taliban authorities in Kabul to revoke their
decision to suspend the university education of Afghan women.
According
to Khaama Press, the ECW called on the interim Taliban government to allow all
girls to return to education, saying that the UN-led humanitarian body stands
in solidarity with women in Afghanistan and added that each one has an inherent
human right to education.
“Education
Cannot Wait stands in solidarity with every girl and woman in Afghanistan. Each
one has an inherent human right to education. We also stand in solidarity with
every Afghan father, brother, husband and son, suffering the pain of seeing
their daughter, sister, wife and mother brutally denied their right to an
education,” Khaama Press reported citing the statement of ECW.
According
to a UNICEF report released in August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are
deprived of secondary education has cost the country’s economy at least USD 500
million over the past 12 months, which amounts to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
Since
15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending
secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded
women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and
public bath houses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan
women and girls to the four walls of their homes. (ANI)
Source:
The Print
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